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How to Pass the Membership of the Irish College of General Practitioners (Core Knowledge Test) [ Study Tips ](https://mdster.com/blog?category=study-tips) How to Pass the Membership of the Irish College of General Practitioners (Core Knowledge Test) ================================================================================================ A practical, GP-focused study plan for mastering SBA questions, pacing yourself properly, and revising what this paper actually rewards [ MDster Editorial Team ](https://mdster.com/about) · Mar 17, 2026 · 6 min read · 116 [ Reviewed by Dr. Ali Ragab, MBBCH, MSc, MCAI ](https://mdster.com/medical-reviewers/dr-ali-ragab) [Editorial Policy](https://mdster.com/editorial-policy) | [Corrections Policy](https://mdster.com/corrections) [ Family Medicine ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=family-medicine) [ Study Tips ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=study-tips) [ MICGP ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=micgp) [ Exam Preparation ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=exam-preparation) [ Core Knowledge Test ](https://mdster.com/blog?tag=core-knowledge-test) Share this article Share this post Most candidates who underperform in the Membership of the Irish College of General Practitioners (Core Knowledge Test) are not weak clinicians. They usually make a more fixable mistake: they revise it like a broad medical final, with too much passive reading and not enough timed decision-making. This paper rewards quick, safe, primary-care judgment. As of March 2026, the public ICGP CKT page describes a three-hour paper made up of 180 single best answer questions with no negative marking. One practical complication: the publicly posted 2024/2025 regulations still describe 200 questions, and those same regulations note that written exam formats may change. So build your prep around fast SBA decision-making, but treat your own sitting instructions as the final authority. The MICGP is criterion-referenced, which means you are trying to reach a defined pass standard, not beat your peers. [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") Study for the paper you are actually sitting -------------------------------------------- The CKT is not the CCT. The CCT assesses simulated GP consultations, while the MEQ was a written decision-making paper that has now been retired. CKT prep should therefore focus on choosing the single best option under time pressure, not on role-play performance or long written answers. [\[2\]](#cite-2 "Reference [2]") Use this SBA routine in every practice block: - Read the **lead-in first** so you know whether the task is diagnosis, investigation, management, or referral. - Before reading the options, decide what you expect the answer to be. - If two options look reasonable, ask: **which is best in Irish general practice, for this patient, right now?** - Train yourself to reject answers that are technically possible but too specialist, too invasive, or too hospital-focused for the stem. > **Pro Tip:** Many candidates lose marks by knowing the condition but choosing the wrong *level* of management. In GP SBA papers, the safest and most proportionate next step often beats the most exhaustive one. Prioritise GP decisions, not hospital trivia -------------------------------------------- ICGP lists the CKT topic areas as clinical surgery, consultation skills, dermatology, emergency medicine, ENT, general medicine, infectious diseases, obstetrics and gynaecology/women's health, ophthalmology, paediatrics, palliative care, practice management, psychiatry, rheumatology, sexual health, and therapeutics. The common mistake is to overweight rare hospital detail and underweight bread-and-butter GP decisions: first-line treatment, prescribing, red flags, safety-netting, and referral thresholds. Use the core curriculum and ICGP evidence-based resources as your map. [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") A sensible first pass is to prioritise: - **General medicine, paediatrics, women's health, psychiatry** - **Dermatology, infectious diseases, emergency medicine, therapeutics** - **Consultation skills and practice management every week**, not just at the end For each topic, make a one-page GP note using the same headings: - Common presentations - Must-not-miss diagnoses - First-line GP management - When to investigate - When to refer urgently - Safety-netting and follow-up - Key prescribing traps That note structure forces you to think like the exam. Make your revision question-first --------------------------------- High-quality self-testing and spaced retrieval beat passive rereading for long-term retention. For the CKT, questions should drive your reading, not the other way around. [\[3\]](#cite-3 "Reference [3]") Try this cycle four to five days each week: 1. **Do 30-40 timed SBA questions** from one domain. 2. **Review every incorrect answer** into an error log with one label only: knowledge gap, misread stem, poor prioritisation, or guideline mismatch. 3. **Re-open the source** only after you have written why your answer was wrong. 4. **Convert repeated misses into flashcards** with short prompts such as: 'child with fever + non-blanching rash: immediate GP action?' or 'first-line next step in heavy menstrual bleeding?' Your best resource mix is usually: - one GP-style SBA source - one concise general practice or therapeutics text - current Irish or national guidelines - a small study group that discusses difficult stems, not just facts If you use a course, pick one that explains **why the distractors are wrong**. That is where CKT marks are won. Train pacing and exam mechanics ------------------------------- If your sitting uses 180 questions in 180 minutes, you have roughly one minute per item; if your official notice says 200 questions, the pace is tighter again. Either way, routine questions must be answered quickly. Because there is no negative marking, every question should have one answer selected before you submit. [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") Use a simple 3-pass rule: - **Pass 1:** answer immediate questions fast - **Pass 2:** return to genuine 50:50 items - **Pass 3:** clean up marked questions and check accidental blanks > **Pro Tip:** Practise in 50- or 60-question blocks. That trains concentration dips better than endless untimed sets of 10. For written MICGP modules, the published regulations describe remote invigilation with a quiet private room, PC or laptop, reliable internet, webcam and microphone, and no extra screens or headphones. Do one full mock in the exact room and setup you plan to use on exam day. [\[4\]](#cite-4 "Reference [4]") Study Schedule Template ----------------------- PhaseFocusWeekly targetWeeks 8-5Cover 2 core domains each week150-200 SBAs, 2 error-log reviews, 1 non-clinical GP topicWeeks 4-2Mixed timed practice3 timed mixed blocks, 1 longer mock, weak-topic repairFinal 7 daysPerformance polish2 full mocks, review error log and flashcards only, check exam tech If you are working full time, keep weekdays to 45-60 minute sessions and protect one longer weekend block for a mock and review. Common Pitfalls --------------- - Reading guidelines for hours without answering questions - Ignoring **practice management** and **consultation skills** because they feel less clinical - Choosing the most exhaustive investigation instead of the most appropriate GP step - Keeping no error log, so the same mistakes repeat - Leaving items blank despite no negative marking - Testing your exam setup too late for remote invigilation requirements [\[1\]](#cite-1 "Reference [1]") Key Takeaways ------------- - Build your revision map from the published CKT domains this week - Start an error log with four categories: knowledge, stem-reading, prioritisation, guideline mismatch - Add one non-clinical GP area to every week's plan - Book two full-length timed mocks before your exam month - Rehearse your remote exam setup early - In every mock, answer **every** question The CKT becomes much more manageable when your revision starts to look like the paper: broad GP coverage, fast option discrimination, disciplined review, and zero passive drift. References (9) ------------------ 1. 1. [ www.irishcollegeofgps.ie/Home/Training-Assessment/MICGP-Examination/MICGP-Exam-Modules/Core-Knowledge-Test-CKT ](https://www.irishcollegeofgps.ie/Home/Training-Assessment/MICGP-Examination/MICGP-Exam-Modules/Core-Knowledge-Test-CKT) [↩](#cite-ref-1-1 "Back to text") 2. 2. [ www.irishcollegeofgps.ie/Home/TrainingAssessment/MICGPExamination/MICGPExamModules/ClinicalCompetencyTest%28CCT%29 ](https://www.irishcollegeofgps.ie/Home/TrainingAssessment/MICGPExamination/MICGPExamModules/ClinicalCompetencyTest%28CCT%29) [↩](#cite-ref-2-1 "Back to text") 3. 3. [ pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26173288 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26173288/) [↩](#cite-ref-3-1 "Back to text") 4. 4. [ www.irishcollegeofgps.ie/Portals/0/Training%20and%20Assessment/Policies%20and%20procedures/MICGP%20Exam%20Regulations%202024%202025\_Final.pdf ](https://www.irishcollegeofgps.ie/Portals/0/Training%20and%20Assessment/Policies%20and%20procedures/MICGP%20Exam%20Regulations%202024%202025_Final.pdf) [↩](#cite-ref-4-1 "Back to text") 5. 5. Irish College of GPs. Core Knowledge Test (CKT). Accessed March 2026. 6. 6. Irish College of GPs. MICGP Exam Modules. Accessed March 2026. 7. 7. Irish College of GPs. MICGP Examination Regulations 2024/2025. Approved 8 October 2024. 8. 8. Dunlosky J, Rawson KA, Marsh EJ, Nathan MJ, Willingham DT. Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 2013. 9. 9. Karpicke JD, Blunt JR. Retrieval practice produces more learning than elaborative studying with concept mapping. Science. 2011. 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